Lost Strays
by Hex Enchantress
Summary: Instead of just having Damian, Talia had twins, another son named Timothy, but was forced to abandon him to save his life. But he didn't grow up the streets all his life. No, he was found by Selina Kyle, and became one of the youngest, best thieves in the world. Now, Ra's has found out Talia did not kill Tim. Will Tim survive the attacks, or will everything he love be destroyed?
1. Chapter 1

**So, I know I should be updating my other stories, but I couldn't get this idea out of my head. I hope you guys like this story!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own DC Nation.**

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Prologue

"Are you sure about this, Talia?" Janet asked, staring at the infant in my lap.

The baby was deathly pale, with scarlet red blood near his lips, standing out like dark red stains from his last fit of coughing. His tuft of black hair was flat against his head, sweat sticking his ebony locks to his head.

I ran my nails through his hair, the tips of my lips quirking up. The infant squirmed in my grip, his chest raising erractically, his breath wheezing as he coughed, more blood dripping from his lips. My smirk dropped. "Talia, you must let Timothy go. He will have a better chance of living here instead of living with the League. Especially now that your grandfather wants him dead just for his defect." Janet said, pulling my attention away from Timothy.

I closed my eyes, hugging Timothy to my chest tightly, before nodding. "Yes, you are right, Janet."

I opened the limo door, laying Timothy gently onto the cold concrete floor of Crime Alley.

"You may leave now." I told the driver after closing the door. "And you will agree to keep this secret?

Janet nodded, looking back at Timothy through the rear view mirror. "He may be your son, but he's also my god son. I would do anything to protect him." As long as he lives, Ra's won't get to him." Janet said, crossing her arms over chest.

* * *

"Hmm, now where did I stash that necklace?" I hummed, looking around the dirty alleyway.

It wasn't often that I had to stash my things and run, but last night with Batman on my tail, I had no choice. But now, a few weeks after the incident, it was finally safe to get what was mine.

"Get back you little bastard!"

I blinked, turning towards the sound.

"I swear, I didn't steal it!" A boy said, backing himself against the wall, something shining in his hand with a familiar cat pendant. My necklace.

A man cornered him, hauling the boy up by his too big shirt. "Yeah, right. Like I believe someone like you." He growled, shaking the boy.

The kid coughed, blood spraying over the men and dripping down his lips. "Please, let me go." He whispered, his chest rising and falling rapidly. As if he was having a heart attack.

"There you are!" I said, walking up to the pair.

The man looked at me, his mouth opened and ready to snap at me, and closing it into a flirtous smirk. s a thief. "I think you have the wrong kid, but I'll happily help you find whoever you're looking for." The man said as the boy shook.

"No, this is him. Besides, he didn't steal from me, he was searching for my necklace." I said, prying the ebony from the brute man, and settling the kid on my hip.

I turned away, lowering my head towards the boy to hear his frail voice.

I chuckled, rubbing my nails through his dirty, but soft black hair. "What's your name?" I asked, ignoring his question.

He wrinkled his nose for a second, then looked up at me with his big blue eyes. "Timothy." He said, his erratic breathing slowly calming down.

"Alright Timmy, I think you're a keeper." I said, smiling as he looked at the stores we walked past with a glint in his eyes.

* * *

"What's wrong with him?" I asked Dr. Thompkins, my concern growing as her frown deepened.

"From what you have told me of his cold skin, fainting, trouble breathing, his heart beat problem I noticed from the examination, and the fact that he's always had it, it seems that he was a rare genetic defect. He probably got it from a family member, maybe not his direct parents, but the gene might have been carried over for years in his family as dormant, than shown in Timothy. His body probably adapted with the defect quickly enough that he has learned to survive with it." Dr. Thompkins said, sighing, and turning to Tim. "Do you understand what that means, Timothy?"

Tim nodded from the examination bed he was on, his cheeks turning bright red as his legs swung in the air. "Yes, Ma'am. It means I got it because of my parents, and learned to get over it, right?" And," Tim said, fidgeting in his seat as his blush grew. "I - you can just call me Tim."

"Alright, Tim." Dr. Thompkins said, smiling, which only made Tim's blush grow even more. "And that is exactly right."

"Is there anything to help him, you know, to not throw up as much?" I asked, Dr. Thompkins frown returning as she turned back to me.

"Yes, there are some things that can help. Since his blood vomiting seems to be caused by his heart beat too fast, if he learned how to calm himself down before he vomited, like meditation, that could bring down the number of how much he throws up. However, that won't completely stop it. Medicine could help stop it completely, but since there aren't many people with defects like this, the medicine won't be cheap." Dr. Thompkins said.

I looked at Tim, who was looking down at the ground, tears trailing down his face. Even if I knew him for only a few days, I knew he thought I would abandon him like everyone on else when he heard the words _won't be cheap. _A frown tugged at my lips, my hands tightening into fists.

Tim was only five-years-old, he shouldn't have to think that he could be abandoned for money so easily. He shouldn't think that his life is worth a few hundred dollars, or however much this medicine costs. Nobody should, not even a stray like him.

I ruffled Tim's hair, smiling as he looked up at me surprised. "Name the price, Leslie."

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**I hope you guys liked the prologue! Review! **


	2. Chapter 2

**I hope you guys liked my last chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own DC Nation.**

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Third Person POV

"What do you mean, he's alive?" Ra's asked, glaring at the ninja in front of him.

The ninja rose form his kneel, staring at Ra's calmly. "We found a boy matching his medical problems, DNA, and exact birth date to your grandson's. He is currently living with Selina Kyle."

Ra's turned away from the ninja, glaring out the window as he grit his teeth together. "Send my daughter to me, I will deal with her for lying to me about an issue like this." He said darkly, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"And the boy, Master Ra's?" The ninja asked. "What would you to do about him?"

Ra's turned around, his voice calm and steady as he looked at the ninja with determined eyes."Find his home, destroy it, and kill him. I want all knowledge of his existence _gone_."

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Tim POV

I groaned, my voice muffled as I felt something covering my mouth and nose. I tried to open my mouth, but I only felt something being sucked into my mouth, blocking my air ways. I jerked, but whatever was covering my mouth and nose wouldn't move. It was suffocating me, I couldn't breath.

Ugh, not this again.

I pushed Puffball off my face, coughing as pieces of her fur were stuck in my mouth, Puffball meowing happily. "Helena!" I moaned loudly, glaring tiredly at the cat, who was sitting regally on my bed, with her head held high and her back turned towards me as if she hadn't just tried to gag me.

The four-year-old girl pushed her head in through my door, smiling brightly. "Yeah, Timmy?" She asked, Puffball jumping off my bed to run towards her.

"Your cat tried to suffocate me in my sleep," I said. "Again."

Helena pouted, pick up the white haired cat. It would have been cute, if Puffball hadn't looked so smug. "She's just trying to show you that she loves you, big brother."

"Helena, Puffball is the evil anti-christ. The only 'love' she is trying to show me, is her love of listening to me choke as she gags me in my sleep with her fur." I said, sitting up on my bed.

"You're overreacting, Kitten." Selina said, walking into my room behind Helena with a smirk on her face. "Besides, you're the one who wanted to keep her in the first place."

"Yeah, because I was 10-years-old, and I didn't know she would grow up to be the queen of hell that would one day bring the apocalyptic dooms day." I said, stretching myself out on my bed with a yawn.

Helena giggled, just like she always did when I stretched after I woke up. I wasn't sure why she did it exactly, but had something to do about me looking like Puffball when she woke up before she went to terrorize the rat colony on the third floor of our apartment complex. I still wasn't sure if I should take that as a compliment or not.

"Alright Helena, lets go. Your brother has to get ready for breakfast." Mom said, picking up Helena before walking out of my room.

I yawned again, blinking lazily as I looked around my room.

My room wasn't anything fancy or amazing. The walls were still painted a light purple from the time Mom used this place for a storage room for all the stuff she stole, the ceiling fan made loud sounds whenever I left it on for too long, and the only thing that showed someone lived here was my laptop, which overheated and made loud noises whenever I turned it on.

But the fact that I could complain about all this only seemed to make the room better.

When I was five, living on the streets of Crime Alley, it was like a never ending hell with nothing to call my own. I didn't have a room all to myself, or a laptop that always burnt my lap when I tried to work on it. I didn't even have a fan that made annoying noises when I used it too much. All I had, was myself and the clothes I was wearing.

Then Selina found me, and gave me my own room, clothes, and and a white cat named Puffball who will one day rule the underworld. Of course, that wasn't counting the nightly activities that Selina brought me into.

"What's for breakfast?" I asked, walking into the kitchen once I got dressed in my usual faded jeans, a black T-shirt, and my camera hanging around my neck.

"I'm making waffles!" Helena squealed, smiling brightly from where she sat on the counter next to the toaster.

"Oh, really, now?" I asked, giving her a teasing smile. "Well then, they must be amazing."

She nodded, crossing her arms over her chest proudly. "Yup! They're going to be the best waffles ever!" Helena said, giggling as she stared at my camera as it swung lightly from the strap around my neck. "Then you'll have to let me play with your camera."

I frowned, batting away Helena's hands lightly. "Helena, I told you, you can't use my camera. It's very expensive, and it was a gift from Mom. I don't want you to accidentally break it." I said, pulling my camera away from her. "Besides, I need it for my job."

"Speaking of," Mom said, walking into the kitchen with a couple cans of cat food, "where are you going today?"

I reached into the cabinet next to Helena for some bowls. "Only one newspaper has said they needed something specific. They need a picture of people in the mall, you know, just walking around. The best picture is going to be a background picture or something for a charity." I said, handing Selina the bowls as she set the bowls onto the ground to feed the little hellions.

I waited for Helena to start squealing, to ask for me to set her down on the ground so she could pet the cats, and fill the cream in their dishes whenever the bowls were empty. But as I fixed my bowl of cereal, Helena didn't say anything once about being set down or wanting to help the cats. And since she was four years old… well, let's just say a quiet toddler meant nothing good was happening.

I turned around, catching Selina's own worried look as I turned around. Helena was frowning, her eyes staring at the tiled floor in a deep gaze, like she was in a far away place.

Mom said she saw this same exact look Helena had on me once, my eyes far away and dazed, after I woke up from nightmares that made me scream and cry in the middle of the night. My nightmares were about what happened to me in Crime Alley before Selina found me. The fact that Helena had my same look didn't set well with me. "What's the matter, Helena?" I asked, setting the cereal box on the counter. "Did someone pick on you at pre-school?"

She looked up me, tears dotting her eyes, shaking her head. "Kinda." She said, looking down again. I frowned, watching Mom do the same out of the corner of my eye.

I followed her gaze, which was aimed at her hands holding something tightly in her lap. "What's in your hands, Helena?" Mom asked, standing in front of Helena, holding her small hands in hers.

She opened her hands silently, a piece of crumpled paper with colorful words printed on the paper. "There's going to be a daddy-daughter breakfast next week. I asked the teacher if someone else could come if I didn't have a daddy to come to the breakfast, and the other kids heard. They started making fun of me afterwards." She said, dropping the paper into Mom's opened palms. "I was trying to forget it, but I left the paper on the table…"

I frowned, sharing a look with Mom before a grin slid onto both of our faces. If these kids were picking on Helena, it was only fair that I got to tell them to back off, since I was her big brother and all. "Hey Helena, did the teacher say you could bring someone else besides a dad?" I asked, stepping next to Mom.

She nodded, sniffing. "Yeah, right before the kids started picking on me."

I picked her off the counter, dodging the cats as they purred and pressed themselves against my legs. "Well then, why do you need a dad when you can bring me?" I asked, grinning as her stopped.

"Huh?" She asked, confused.

"I'll take you." I said, grinning as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "After all, why would you want to take some old guy when you can take a big brother like me?"

She blinked, a grin spreading onto her face. "Really, you'll take me?" She squealed, so excited that she almost threw herself out of my arms.

"Definitely. I can have breakfast there before I go to school. Besides, if anything," I said, smirking darkly. "I can talk to those kids at your school."

She nodded, wiping the rest of the tears from her eyes. "Thank you, Timmy! Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!" She said happily, hugging me tightly while some how bouncing in my arms.

Mom chuckled, pulling Helena from my arms. "Alright kiddo, time to sit down for breakfast." She said, setting Helena down in a chair.

She smiled, then pressed her lips into a thin line. "I have to pee." She said, before bolting out of the room and towards the bathroom.

I stared at her back as she left, shaking my head as Mom chuckled. "Are you sure we shouldn't get her checked for being Bipolar?" I asked. "I was nothing like that when I was four."

Mom smiled at me sadly, sitting down at the table with her own bowl of cereal. "You weren't a typical four-year-old though, now were you?"

I sat across from her, shaking my head. "I guess not." I said, looking up at Selina seriously. "But Mom, when are you going to tell her about her dad? And her dad about her?"

Mom frowned, her spoon freezing in front of her lips just as she was about to take a bite, before she dropped it back into her bowl. "Tim, you know why I can't tell Helena about Bruce, and why I can't tell Bruce about Helena."

I glared at Mom, my grip tightening on the edge of the table. "Mom, you saw Helena before. Do you really think it's fair to hide her own father from her? That kind of thing, even if you're a kid like Helena, tears at you." I said, scowling. "It tears into your head, and you wonder start wondering into dark places. It's hurting Helena."

"Helena is not the same as you, Tim. You were abandoned and then abused as a child. Helena is a child with a single mother and an older brother. Besides, she's only four, I'm not sure she'll really understand the situation." Mom said, her lips set into a thin tight line. "And… Bruce already has enough kids to deal with right now."

I scowled, shaking my head.

* * *

_I curled up in my corner, sniffing as tears poured down my face. _

_It had been ten days. Ten days since Selina had taken that stupid test and told me she was going to have baby. A baby that would cry and wail and scream Selina till she was tired, and would fall asleep during the day. The baby would have to use a diaper that was horrible to change, and she would have to feed it, and then burp it afterwards. She probably wouldn't even have time to go out for her night job to steal, and that meant my time as Stray would go down too._

_She would have no time for me. Selina would abandon me, just like everyone else had. My only home would be gone. _

"_Tim, what's wrong?" Selina asked, kneeling down in front of me slowly. "Your throat and breathing isn't bothering you or anything, right? If it is, we should tell Dr. Thompkins." _

_I shook my head, hiccuping as sobs wracked my chest. "No, I feel fine." I said, looking away from her slightly larger stomach with a heated glare. _

_Selina paused for a second, then ruffled my hair. I blinked, looking up at Selina, confused. _

_She was chuckling, her lips set in a warm smile that made my chest warm up. Even though I had lived with Selina for five years, it still shocked me every time she smiled at me. _

_She didn't smile at me like those guys from Crime Alley, or those hookers and pole dancers who always shared some food for me when I listened to their complaints. Selina smiled at me like I was worth something, like I was one of those cat statues that Selina let me help steal, only better. Like I was priceless. _

_It made me wonder if that was what it was like for a mother to smile at her child. _

"_I see the problem." She said, pulling me towards her so I leaned against her. "You're afraid I'll leave you once I have this baby." _

_I pulled away from her, looking at her with pleading eyes. "But you will! This baby will take up all your time, and you'll never be able to spend any time with me. You'll abandon me just like everyone else!" I snapped, tears in my eyes as I shook. _

_I started to wheeze, my chest shaking as my hand covered my mouth as I began to cough, scarlet blood splattering all over my pale white hand. Tears clouded my eyes, blurring my vision. _

"_Tim, calm down." Selina said calmly, pushing my head into the crook of her shoulder, ignoring the blood that I coughed onto her smooth skin, uncovered by her low v-neck._

_She started rubbing my back calmly, not letting the scarlet liquid bother her. "In and out, kitten, deep breaths." _

_Selina did this until I calmed down, her heart beating in my ear steadily. She pulled me back, tilting my chin back so I could look her in the eye. "Kitten, I know you're afraid." Selina said, wiping away a tear from my face. "You're afraid I'll leave you in an alleyway like your mother did, abandoning you completely for this new baby." _

_I looked away, avoiding her intense eyes that seemed to stare into my soul, hating how she was able to read me so well. She grabbed my chin more firmly this time, looking at me calmly. "Timothy, I swear to you, I will never abandon you. I will not abandon you like your mother or your father did, no matter if this baby is a boy or a girl, or is the most beautiful baby in the entire world. Because, Kitten, one child does not push away the needs or attention of another child." _

_I sniffed, shaking in her arms. "You really mean that?" I whispered. _

_She nodded, petting my hair softly. "Of course I mean it, kitten. You're my child, just as much as this one will be, and nothing will change that."_

* * *

"One child does not push away the needs or attentions of another child." I said, watching Selina freeze before chuckling.

"Using my own words against me, huh?" Selina asked, smiling gently before sighing. "Fine, I'll tell Bruce. Not now though. I want Helena to understand everything before I tell Bruce anything."

"Who's Bruce?"

Our heads snapped towards the kitchen entrance, Helena standing there curiously. "No one important, just a… special friend of mine. I wanted to tell him about you, since you're so adorable, and all." Selina said quickly, grinning. "I just wanted to know if it was okay with _you_."

Helena smiled, nodding. "Sure you can, Mommy. Can I meet Bruce some day?" She asked curiously.

Selina offered her a strained smile. "You will, one day." Giggling, Helena climbed onto her chair, her legs tucked beneath her so she could reach the table.

"He sounds like he must be nice." Helena said, her smile never leaving once. I looked over at Selina, sharing a worried look with her. Just how much had Helena heard?

"Well, I should be going now. I have to get to the Mall before it gets too crowded." I said, breaking the silence after I finished eating.

Helena pouted, widening her eyes so that she was looking at me with her giant puppy dog eyes. "Can you take me with you, Timmy? I don't want to have to go to daycare while Mommy works." She whined, kicking her legs under the table.

I chuckled, relaxing as the tension almost left the room entirely at her whine. "Sorry Helena, but your brother has to be able focus." Mom said, smirking as Helena slumped in her seat. "Besides, it's just this one time that I have to work on a Saturday. And Tim's not leaving yet."

I frowned. "Why not?"

Mom raised an eyebrow at me, her eyes setting into a look. "Your medicine and watch, Tim?" Mom asked, her voice starting to slip into a dangerous tone.

I winced slightly, a sheepish grin growing on my face.

Selina wasn't a strict parent. She was usually free minded, and didn't care what I did as long as I got home before eight o'clock, didn't ditch Helena somewhere, or get arrested. But ever since Dr. Thompkins found the one 'miracle' medicine that helped me stop coughing up blood, Selina was always scared that I would go back to how I was when I was five-years-old, puking blood and almost passing out from lack of oxygen wherever I went.

Only Selina didn't show she was scared, she just started to scare me, instead.

"Right." I said, grabbing the pill bottle from the kitchen's medicine cabinet. I popped the lid, pouring four of the black and red pills into my hand and swallowing them, before slipping my heart monitor watch on.

After the first couple of appointments to Dr. Thompkin's office, Dr. Thompkin quickly found out that the reason I threw up so much blood, was connected to my rising heartbeat. The way Dr. Thompkins explained it, whenever I got too excited, blood from the veins in my esophagus starts to leak into my esophagus. It gets sucked back through my esophagus, causing me to throw up blood.

To fix this quickly, Dr. Thompkin told me to wear a heart monitor watch and learn calming techniques, since my medicine could only work so much to stop my problem. This way, if my heart beat ever got too fast, I would be able to calm down before I started to throw up.

"How much do you have left?" Selina asked, relaxing in her chair once she saw me swallow it all. "Dr. Thompkin said that the next shipment isn't coming in for awhile, so we have to make this last."

"Don't worry Mom, it's enough to last me a little bit longer." I said, starting to walk out of the kitchen.

Mom sighed, a relieved smile slowly growing onto her face. "Good, you can go now. Just don't forget to pick up Helena once you're done."

I nodded, ruffling Helena's hair as I passed her. "I will." I said, almost out the door way.

"Oh, and Tim?"

I froze, turning to see Mom smirking at me. "Don't pick too many people's pockets as you take pictures, the last thing we need is the mall thinking there's a dangerous thief just because you got too carried away. Again."

I groaned, rolling my eyes as Helena giggled, and Puffball purred happily from her spot on the countertop. "That was _one time_, Mom. One. Besides, the new Star Trek movie just came out then, what else was I _supposed to_ do to get it? The movie stores don't put the DVDs in the box until you actually _pay_ for it." I said, walking out of the kitchen.

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**I hope you guys liked this chapter. Also, if anyone has any tips on how to write an epic poem, I would love to hear them.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**I hope you guys liked my last chapter. And I swear, I meant to update this sooner, but my teachers are flooding me with projects, and I got this out as fast as I could. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own DC Nation, if I did, Red Hood and the Outlaws would have their own TV show.**

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Third Person POV

The sound of the slap echoed throughout the empty room, only two people inside the room, one on the floor holding her red cheek.

"You told me you disposed of him, Talia." Ra's said coldly, his eyes like daggers, digging into his daughter's head.

Talia gritted her teeth, glaring at her father as she pushed herself off of the ground. "I have, Father. Timothy has been dead for 14 years." Talia snapped, removing her hand from her cheek.

Ra's glare sharpened, his lips set into a scowl. "Is that so? Then how is it, Talia, that one of my ninja has spotted a boy with his exact name, date of birth, and same disability?" Ra's hissed.

Talia didn't say anything for a while, her hands clenching into fists as she swallowed the lump in her throat. Finally, after the silenced had stretched between the two like a barrier in the room, Talia said, "I left Timothy to die in an abandoned alley. It would have been slow, but his death would have been natural. He was not expected to live."

Ra's growled, his hands shaking with anger. "You have gotten soft, Talia. Timothy should have been wiped from existence the day I told you to get rid of that curse." Ra's said, cold and full of anger. "Guards!"

Ninja walked in, each one bowing before Ra's, then standing straight.

"Escort my daughter back to her room. I want her on complete lockdown until I am ready to deal with her myself." Ra's said, ignoring Talia's murderous glare as she was pulled from her father's throne room.

The ninja took her to her room, Talia walking in, before the guards slammed the door shut, and locked the door.

Talia breathed out through her nose, forcing herself to calm down before grabbing her phone from her nightstand, and pressing speed dial.

"... What is it, Talia? My husband is an idiot who doesn't know a thing about running a company, and these papers need to be completed-"

"Janet, Father has found out about Timothy." Talia cut off.

Silence hung heavy through the phones, only broken by a frustrated sigh on the other line. "It's not too surprising, he would have figured it out sooner or later. What does your father plan on doing about him?"

"There is only one thing my father wants to do with Timothy, and that is to kill him. He has probably already sent an assassin after him." Talia said, concern dripping into her voice.

"And just what do you plan to stop this assassin?" Janet asked.

Talia turned in the middle of her room, watching her eyes narrow coldly in the mirror across the room. "My father will tell my ninja to not take my orders. However, I want you to find the ones loyal only to me." Talia said. "Tell them we are going to war with my father, and that keeping Timothy safe, is their first priority. Any ninja near my son, if my father does succeed in killing him, that could not prevent Timothy's death, dies a slow, painful death at your hands, and mine. Make sure to tell them that word for word."

* * *

Tim POV

I focused my camera, closing in on the giant crowd of people walking around the Gotham Mall.

Since it was close to Christmas, the mall was crowded with people. Kids were screaming and crying and begging their parents for gifts that were displayed proudly in store windows, parents were dragging their kids along while telling them 'no' the entire time until they broke, and the stores in Gotham Mall raised their prices as parents were forced to buy gifts for their kids so they would shut up. The mall was in chaos.

So really, a normal day in Gotham Mall.

I snapped the picture, frowning at crowd of people.

The newspaper who I was taking the picture for said they wanted to see a happy crowd of people with Christmas cheer, something to put on the front page of a family really enjoying the holidays, and not screaming bloody murder because they didn't get the new nerf gun or barbie doll they wanted. Not the classic Gotham Mall massacre that seemed to happen almost everyday at some point or another.

"Damn it, If the kids in here don't stop acting like spoiled little brats, I'll never be able to get a good shot for the paper." I muttered.

I looked up with a sigh, looking through the camera lens, leaning over a railing as I stared at the next floor of the mall. Just from looking up from here, I could easily tell that the crowd up stairs wouldn't be any better than the crowd down here. If anything, it might be worse.

I hummed impatiently, zooming in. Finding a perfect picture that was exactly what the newspaper asked for wasn't easy. You have to find and capture a perfect moment, that could take hours to find, in the right angle with good lighting that was almost never there. This usually took restraint, tolerance, and a _lot _of patience. But after searching the entire shopping area of Gotham for that perfect moment, I was almost ready to give up.

It was four o'clock in the afternoon, eight hours since I left home, and started at Northtown Mall. Not many people were there in North Town in the first place, since it was one of the smaller malls surrounding the center Gotham Mall, but every person there looked like they were ready to kill each other. Parents tried to haggle with managers, people were fighting for the last brand new barbie doll or nerf gun that their kid just _had _to get, and ambulances had to be called in for the visitors that were stupid enough to try to stop in the middle of the crowd and got trampled.

And as the day went on and I switched to different shops and malls, it only got worse. At this point, I wasn't even sure if the picture that the newspaper wanted was even possible to get in Gotham. "If I can't get a shot, I wonder how many people I can pickpocket before Mom would consider it as too much." I hummed.

I looked up, jerking my camera up when something caught my eye. It was a red light, pointed like a laser pointer that kids use. Or a rifle targeting someone.

Zooming in the camera lens, I narrowed my eyes as I looked for that light again, and the person using it. But no matter where I moved my camera, I couldn't find the red light that I had seen before.

I sighed, looking away from my camera. "It's probably just some annoying kid with a laser pointer." I muttered, though I couldn't believe my own words.

Sighing, I smiled sadly at what Helena would say if I had brought her along.

Flashback

"_Timmy, Timmy! Guess what!" Helena shouted, running through the doorway with Mom behind her. _

"_What, Helena?" I asked, grinning as Helena tugged on my pants and made grabby hands for me to pick her up. _

"_I found a word for you. Miss Telen teached us about it in class." Helena said, giggling as I picked her up with a swoop. _

"_It's taught, not teached." I said, ruffling her hair with my free hand. "And what is my word?" _

_Helena's grin somehow got wider, showing off the gap in her bottom teeth. "Para-noiwd." _

_I blinked, staring at Helena as Mom laughed behind me, her voice filling our small apartment. "You nailed it, Helena. That's your big brother, alright." Mom said, as I turned around to see her laughing with tears dotting her eyes. "And it's paranoid." _

"_What are you talking about, I'm not _that_ bad." I huffed, Helena frowning in my arms, giving me a determined nod. _

"_Yes you are. You always worry about silly stuff. Like when you had that teacher who wasn't a teacher, a sub, who you said looked too much like someone else. And then…" Helena trailed off, her eyes lowering as tears bubbled into her eyes. "Then you coughed up blood, and you were shaking. A-and, you weren't breathing, and Mommy was scared, so I was scared, and we had to take you to Dr. Thompins from your school."_

_Helena looked up at me, her big blue shining with tears. "And now you're paranoiwd around all subs, and they make you scared, and Dr. Thompins said that being scared about silly stuff like that was bad for you and makes you cough more blood." Helena said, pushing her face into my shoulder as I stared at Mom, who had stopped laughing, with wide eyes. _

_The man that Helena was talking about _had_ looked too much like someone else. He looked like the first man who had told me about paying things with my body, when I was five. The man who stole my innocence, before Selina found me. _

_I still had nightmares about the man taking advantage of me when I was only five, nightmares that ended with me screaming in the middle of the night and blood smeared all over my bed sheets, which only scared me even more since it reminded me so much of my insides ripping. So when I had saw the sub, a man who looked like his _exact twin_, I freaked out. Mom still hadn't dropped Helena off at Preschool, since it starts at noon and I was only in fifth period, so when she came to get me, she had no choice but to take Helena with her. _

_Helena knew about my problem, as well as any four year old could understand, I guess. But that had been the first time Helena had ever actually seen me during an attack, and while me and Mom both knew that she would be scared by it, she never talked about feeling like this to either of us. _

"_You shouldn't worry about silly stuff Timmy," Helena muttered through my shirt. "I don't understand who the guy was, but you're not in that other place where that guy was anymore. You're safe here, and it's silly to worry about stuff that you don't have to worry about. And I don't…. I don't want to see that happen to you again. I don't want to see you hurt again." _

_I swallowed thickly, my face paling as Selina gently took a sobbing Helena out of my arms. Did I really scare her so bad? Had I really traumatized my little sister that much? _

"_It's alright, Helena. It's not that easy, to forget certain stuff like that, for Tim. It takes time, but," Mom said, looking straight at me. "Tim will get over it, eventually. Me and you will make sure of it." _

Flashback

Sighing, I shook my head. I looked around, trying to find a good shot of the crowd again, trying to forget about the red laser for Helena's sake.

But no matter how many times I tried to focus on the crowd, or find the perfect angle, I couldn't ignore the nagging feeling in my gut. Something was upstairs, and pointed a laser straight at me so that I saw it with my camera. Because with the small chances of being able to see a light in a camera, there was no way it could be just be a coincidence.

"Just one more look." I muttered, looking up at the next floor with my camera again. I raised my camera towards the roof, zooming the camera in as far as it would go, and then froze.

In the very center of my camera was a man dressed in all black, his face covered by a black mask with hole for his eyes, and a rifle in his hands. "Who's paranoid now, Helena?" I muttered, switching the flash of my camera off, before taking the picture.

My eyes hardened as the man's widened, and his trigger finger clenched.

The skylight's glass shattered as the bullet passed through, the sound of the gunshot echoing around the mall, silencing the entire building, before everyone started to scream. I stepped back as much as I could, nearly getting knocked over by the giant crowd swarming towards the exit, the bullet landing only a few inches away from me.

I looked up at the skylight again, the man still there, easier to see now that he wasn't trying to hide anymore. My eyes narrowed as I followed the direction of his head, down towards the third floor of the mall.

I looked around, cringing as I saw parents carrying out kids close to Helena's age, who had tears streaming down their eyes and were hugging their parents for dear life. Looking back at the sniper one more time, I turned, running towards the stairs that lead to the third floor.

The man was targeting me in the first place, and I wasn't going to let anyone else get caught in the crossfire.

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**I hope you guys liked this chapter! Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I hope you guys liked my last chapter! Sorry for updating so late. I thought I would get more time now that school is almost done, but apparently, my teachers are merciless. So, I'm no longer making any promises on my updates, because of them. Still, I hope you guys like this chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own DC Nation.**

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Third Person POV

Talia paced tapped her finger on her lap impatiently, a scowl splayed over her face. Sharp eyes stared at her phone, waiting for something to happen.

As if on cue, the phone vibrated, Talia answering it quickly as she stood up. "Have you gathered them?" Talia demanded.

"Yes, all of your ninjas have been gathered and informed." Janet said, though her tone was cold and angry. "But, we may already be too late."

Talia's eyes narrowed dangerously, her hand tightening around her phone. "What has my father done, Janet?" Talia growled.

"He's already made a hit on Timothy. Several ninjas have said that Ra's has given orders to hunt down Timothy discretely, and to take him out as soon as possible." Janet said, her tone turning colder. "We have no clue where Timothy is at the moment, so we don't know where the ninja are."

Talia glared at her wall, her knuckles turning white. "He is a teenage boy, it is not that hard to track down a teenage boy with no clue that he needs to hide." Talia snapped.

"Your teenage boy has a drifter job as a freelance photographer and a few cases of being a freelance writer. There are multiple places he could be, since he has no real work place." Janet said calmly, not affected by Talia's change in tone.

"Contact his stepmother, send someone to discreetly find out where he is supposed to be and _get there_." Talia demanded. "I refuse to allow my son to die now when I have kept him alive for so long."

"Of course, Talia." Janet said, her smirk easily heard on the other side of the line before she hung up.

* * *

Tim POV

I pushed against the crowd, wincing as everyone shoved their way around me. People were screaming and running, using every ounce of their strength to push me out of their way. "Are you insane, kid?! Get out of the way, this is a job for the mall cops."

I looked over at the owner of the voice, scowling when I saw his mall security badge gleaming on his chest. I twitched, the urge to reach up and take the shiny badge strong. It was shined so much in the mall light, even while people were screaming in panic and horror, not to mention, it could become useful later on. I wanted it.

I shook my head, snapping myself out of my trance, and yanked my arm away from him. I was going up to figure out why they were targeting me, not to steal some dumb- but very shiny- mall security badge.

"Sorry, but I think you're out of your league, fatso." I said, grimacing as saw his donut powder covered mustache before I turned, running up the stairs to the third floor.

I jumped onto the rail when the people running down stopped me completely, running up the railing with practiced ease from years of stealing. By the time I reached the third floor, nearly the entire floor had been cleared, everyone either trying to get onto the second floor, or trying to get out of the mall entirely.

I looked up, cursing under my breath. On the sky light, right next to the giant net Gotham Mall put up to hold the nearly hundred charity presents as Gotham Mall's biggest Christmas attraction , was a hole in the glass and a rope hanging from the ceiling, that touched all the way to the floor. The gun wasn't on the roof anymore.

"Shit." I cursed, looking around at the third floor of the mall.

The day the Gotham Mall was completed, the news did an entire tour of the building for the first peak of what the mall would look like. It took nearly 30 minutes for the news to even get to the third floor, but when they finally did get there, it was immediately named the Gotham Maze of Bankruptcy, for a very good reason; it was like a giant maze built out of only the best shops that made you want to buy more.

For most Gotham shoppers, this just meant that they would lose money, for me, this meant the sniper could be _anywhere. _

I scowled, looking around the Mall with narrowed eyes as I searched the shops for any sign of him. "I'm not over there, brat."

I cursed, spinning around just in time to see a boot kicking me in the face. I stumbled back, ducking with a gasp as he tried to hit me with the butt of his gun, the leather grip centimeters away from my head.

Scrambling away from him, I rolled into a fighting position quickly, the sniper not giving me a second before trying to use his rifle to pin me to the ground."What the hell with the close combat? I thought snipers liked long distance attacks." I grunted, bending back in a way that would have been painful for anyone who had not been trained by Mom.

"The only reason I even brought my gun was because Lord's orders were to kill you discretely from long range, without drawing attention. Obviously, there is no point to that now, and now no point in going outside my comfort zone." He said, his mask twisting in a way that showed he was smirking, before he kicked me straight in the chest, knocking me off balance.

I caught myself, pushing myself to flip away from him, narrowing my eyes at him before sliding into a fighting stance. The sniper's smirk only got wider.

Lord's orders, was what he said. But why would this 'Lord' want me dead? "What the hell do you mean your 'Lord's orders'? What have I done for him to want me dead?" I asked, ducking a punch after he charged at me.

I landed a kick on his chest, my eyes widening as he grabbed my leg with a grin, swinging me into a stack of fake presents that had been on display. I moaned, the inside of my head starting to pound like a blacksmith was beating against it.

"It's not my job to question my Lord's orders, just to act on them." He said, walking towards me slowly, raising his gun towards me with his eyes dancing with unholy glee. "And I love what my Lord tells me to do."

I rolled away from him, crushing the fake presents as I dodge just in time for the bullet to miss my heart… and hit me in the arm.

I gasped, my arm burning where the bullet hit, stunning me as I laid with my back on the ground, unable to think of a way out of this with him holding a gun to my chest. "Huh. For all the ninja Lord sent to kill you, you are a wimp." The sniper laughed, pressing the gun barrel flush against my wildly beating heart.

My eyes widened, panic distracting me from the bullet in my arm, as I looked straight into the sniper's eyes. I looked past him, then narrowed my eyes as something clicked in my brain.

"Shut up, asshole." I snapped, kicking the rifle away from me as he yanked on the trigger, the bullet aiming upwards, towards the center roof. And Gotham Mall's biggest attraction came falling to the ground.

I fumbled out of the way quickly, half dragging-half trotting away as hundreds of presents came falling down onto the sniper. "What the hell- you little shit, I'm going to-" The sniper cut himself off as the presents landed, yelling as he was slammed onto the hard tile floor.

I let out a relieved sigh, relaxing against the wall I was sitting against. That was a giant net plus however many hundred presents that had fell, he wasn't getting out any time soon.

Pushing myself up with my right arm, I stood up, clutching my left arm to my chest closely. I winced, gritting my teeth as I walked towards the ruined presents. "That should hold you till the police get here." I said, staring at the sniper's nose, which looked like it had been wrenched to the side completely.

He growled at me, wincing when it seemed to hurt his nose too much. "It doesn't matter it's already too late." He said, his eyes narrowed in unholy glee.

I glared at him, a feeling of terror starting to pool into my stomach. "What the hell do you mean by that?"

The sniper laughed, wincing again as his laugh ended in a moan. "Lord's entire order, was to kill you discreetly, and to destroy every piece of evidence of you." The sniper said, grinning behind his mask as my eyes grew in horror. "And you're already too late."

"Mom… Helena." I whispered, before turning around, and running out of the Mall.

* * *

"_This is Selina Kyle, I'm obviously not here at the moment, don't call me back-_"

I hung up, growling under my breath. "Come on Mom, you have to be here. Please tell me your phone is just dead, or your boss didn't let you on the phone till you got home."

I sprinted up my apartment complex's stairs, desperation and adrenaline racing through my system. Chanting echoed around in my head, the words 'they have to be there, they have to be there' the only thing I was able to think as I reached my door, and rushed in.

My legs shook as I walked in, tears dotting my eyes.

Furniture was knocked over all over the floor, pieces of glass and wood scattered all over the carpet. Chairs were knocked over, wood splinters sticking out of the carpet, and frames were broken. They had already gotten here before me.

I took in a shaky breath, pushing myself to walk inside.

The people, whoever they worked for, were thorough when it came to breaking my house. The carpet was pulled up in places, the cushions of the sofa were ripped to pieces, and they even broke my photography trophy I got two years ago. But there was one big thing that I noticed.

There was no blood.

I looked through every room, closet, cabinet, and even the draws, till I eventually stopped at the kitchen, which was the worse by far, because of all the broken dishes. But I never found even a drop of blood, from either the assassins, or my family. Which led me to a very important question.

If they weren't here while the apartment was being destroyed, or after... then where were they?

* * *

I jumped as my cell phone rang in my pocket, pulling me out of my thoughts. My eyes widened when I looked at the caller ID, the metal creaking with how quickly I pressed it to my ear. "...Selina?"

Panting sounded through the line, the sound of wind covering the sound of her voice. "Tim, listen to me, you have to get Helena." Mom said, panic lacing her voice.

"Wait, Mom, I've been trying to call you a dozen times, is someone-"

"_Timothy_" Mom hissed, making me freeze, my skin paling slightly at the use of my full name. "Listen, forget about me. You have to get your medicine, Helena, and get out of there, Tim. You don't know who they are, but I do, and trust me, their boss _isn't _someone you want to mess with."

"Mom, why does their boss even want us dead? We've never stolen from them before, have we?" I asked, confusion and panic crossing into my voice.

"... I don't know, Tim. Their boss isn't like any normal man, and his reasons to kill us _all _wouldn't be as something as petty as just stealing something from him." Selina said after a while. "But 'why' doesn't matter right now. I need you to do what I told you, and get Helena, and disappear. Helena's not going to like it no matter what you do, but you have to disappear completely, okay?"

I hesitated, grabbing my medicine before stuffing it into my pocket, and jogging out the door. "Alright, fine, I'll go get her." I said, biting my lip hard as Mom sighed in relief through the phone. "But, what about you, Mom? Are we going to meet up?"

There was a long silence over the phone, the sound of her running the only thing that kept me from thinking she had hung up. "... We're not, Tim."

I froze mid-step, halfway down a flight of stairs. "What do you mean we're not? Mom, where do you plan on going?" I asked, my voice starting to shake.

"Tim, I know that I told you I would never leave you, no matter what." Mom said, pausing once to choke back a sob. "But I have to. I can draw them off you guys long enough for you two to disappear for good."

"Mom, that's insane." I said, nearly shouting into the phone as I felt myself starting to shake.

"I'm sorry, Tim." Mom said, sniffing. "I love you. Tell Helena that, too."

"Mom, why does that sound like you're about to do something stupid?" I asked, letting out a shaky breath when she hung up on the other end. "Mom?"

I pulled the phone away from my ear, closing it lightly in my shaking hand.

This was supposed to be a normal Saturday, with Mom working later than usual, and Helena whining about kid stuff as I took her back home. Why did it have to go so wrong?

* * *

"I'm here to pick up Helena Kyle." I said as I signed in for Helena, my hand still shaky slightly as I set the pen down.

"Wait here." The lady said, taking the clipboard from me, and walking towards the back.

I let out a shaky breath, my eyes moistening as I remember what Mom said. _I'm sorry, Tim. I love you. _

In all the years I had lived with Selina, I had never heard her so desperate or scared before. Or heard her voice quiver like that, like she was at her last resort. I had never heard her talk like she was about to die.

"Timmy!"

A light weight charged at my legs, small limbs curling around one as small giggles followed. "It's about time, I'm hungry!" Helena said, smiling brightly at me as I felt something inside me break.

I swallowed the knot in my throat, nodding as I tugged Helena off my leg so I could pick her up. "Alright, let's go get something to eat." I said, carrying her out of the daycare.

My legs shook as I walked towards the lower district, Helena frowning at me till I finally reached a hot dog stand. "Two hot dogs." I said, giving the man a 5 before taking the hot dogs from him.

I carried Helena over to the park bench, setting her down carefully as if she might disappear if I didn't, and sat next to her.

"...Timmy, what's wrong?" Helena said, her voice full of a mix of concern and fear. "Timmy?"

I took in a shaky breath, passing Helena a hot dog as I stared at my own. Just staring at it made me want to throw up. "Do you remember that ninja movie I let you watch with me? The one that I got in trouble for showing you when we got caught?" I asked softly.

Helena nodded, taking a cautious bite of her hot dog. "Do you remember how all the bad guys were trying to kill the hero, and his family, and his entire family had to hide from the bad guys?"

"Yeah." She said, looking up at me with her giant eyes, tears dotting them. "Timmy, why are you asking me this? And why aren't we eating with Mommy?"

I swallowed, a lump starting to form in my throat. "That's the thing, Helena. I know this won't sound real, and you won't believe it. But… some really bad men came after me and Mommy today, and I… I don't know where Mommy is." I said, bending over on the bench.

"But she called me, and the bad men were chasing her. She said to get you and hide, so the bad men can't find us. That's why she not here." I said.

"Where is she then?" Helena asked, her voice turning into nothing but a soft whisper. "Where is Mommy, Timmy?"

I shrugged, shaking my head. "I don't know, Helena. She said that… that I had to take you and hide, and that she…" I broke off, tears pooling into my eyes. "She said that she would have to leave us, to distract the bad guys. And that she loved us."

"But Timmy…" Helena said, tears falling down her eyes. "That what the hero's wife said before she died saving him."

I nodded, sucking in my own tears as Helena cried into my side, our hot dogs laid forgotten beside us. "I know Helena, I know."

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